3
Dryland ecosystems offer a wealth of ecosystem goods and services for human
well-being (Safriel et al. 2005; Stafford Smith et al. 2009). Large populations of
agriculturalists, pastoralists, and coastal fishermen have enormous cultural wealth
and ecological knowledge. Over millennia, humans have adapted to the scarcity and
abundance cycles of natural resources, shaping their livelihoods accordingly
(Stafford Smith and Cribb 2009; Davis 2016a). The long history of fine-tuning
socio-economic and political life among drylands peoples reflects some of the oldest legacies of socio-ecological system (SES) development, and today are characterized by both their ecological significance in sustaining the supply of ecosystem
services and their capacity to support millions of people (Safriel et al. 2005; Cherlet
et al. 2018). Variability is an inherent structural property of drylands (Stafford Smith
et al. 2009) to which local communities have adapted and evolved under, thereby
lowering their vulnerability to unpredictable environmental changes (Krätli 2015;
Davis 2016b). These adaptive social–ecological interdependencies of human activities and ecosystem services require collective knowledge-based actions supporting
dryland stewardship (Chapin III et al. 2009a, b, c).
However, over recent decades, drylands have suffered substantial losses of productivity and biodiversity, increasing the severity and frequency of droughts, food
insecurity, poverty, violence, emigration, and social disintegration (Reed and
Stringer 2016; Cherlet et al. 2018; Middleton 2018). In addition, some areas have
been converted to irrigated lands to expand high-input agriculture and to pastures
for intensive livestock production (Jia et al. 2004; Squires 2010) triggering irreversible systemic changes. The processes underlying all these changes are often
termed desertification (UNCCD 1994; Reynolds et al. 2007) undermining the sustainable regional development and threatening the global dryland SES (UNCCD
1994; Cherlet et al. 2018), which are mainly situated in the Global South. According
to the sustainable development goals, the objectives include thriving lives and
livelihoods, sustainable food security, sustainable water security, universal clean
energy, healthy and productive ecosystems, and governance for sustainable societies (Griggs et al. 2013).
The scope of this chapter is to elucidate the challenges of understanding current
human and environmental conditions in the drylands and identify emerging research
needs that can help forge pathways towards improved stewardship and sustainable
development in future drylands in a world that will also be buffeted by climate
change. Many issues related to transforming and governing drylands have been
developed theoretically at the global scale [e.g., sustainable development goals and
land degradation neutrality (Orr et al. 2017; Cowie et al. 2018)]. Some plans have
been implemented at a national scale (INEGI 2019; UNCCD 2019), but scaling
down sustainable development to dryland local communities is still lacking.
Furthermore, suitable SES research methods that fully respond to such theoretical
developments are required and need to be better defined and promoted.
Therefore, we present the International Network for Dryland Sustainability (“Red
Internacional para la Sostenibilidad de Zonas Áridas, RISZA”) that tackles the current
dryland challenges at the local and regional scale, and supports several activities and
goals. These include: (1) Creation of multisectoral partnerships associated with local
SESs; (2) facilitation of intercultural exchange and dialogue; (3) weaving of different
1 Introduction: International Network for the Sustainability…
Dryland ecosystems offer a wealth of ecosystem goods and services for human
well-being (Safriel et al. 2005; Stafford Smith et al. 2009). Large populations of
agriculturalists, pastoralists, and coastal fishermen have enormous cultural wealth
and ecological knowledge. Over millennia, humans have adapted to the scarcity and
abundance cycles of natural resources, shaping their livelihoods accordingly
(Stafford Smith and Cribb 2009; Davis 2016a). The long history of fine-tuning
socio-economic and political life among drylands peoples reflects some of the oldest legacies of socio-ecological system (SES) development, and today are characterized by both their ecological significance in sustaining the supply of ecosystem
services and their capacity to support millions of people (Safriel et al. 2005; Cherlet
et al. 2018). Variability is an inherent structural property of drylands (Stafford Smith
et al. 2009) to which local communities have adapted and evolved under, thereby
lowering their vulnerability to unpredictable environmental changes (Krätli 2015;
Davis 2016b). These adaptive social–ecological interdependencies of human activities and ecosystem services require collective knowledge-based actions supporting
dryland stewardship (Chapin III et al. 2009a, b, c).
However, over recent decades, drylands have suffered substantial losses of productivity and biodiversity, increasing the severity and frequency of droughts, food
insecurity, poverty, violence, emigration, and social disintegration (Reed and
Stringer 2016; Cherlet et al. 2018; Middleton 2018). In addition, some areas have
been converted to irrigated lands to expand high-input agriculture and to pastures
for intensive livestock production (Jia et al. 2004; Squires 2010) triggering irreversible systemic changes. The processes underlying all these changes are often
termed desertification (UNCCD 1994; Reynolds et al. 2007) undermining the sustainable regional development and threatening the global dryland SES (UNCCD
1994; Cherlet et al. 2018), which are mainly situated in the Global South. According
to the sustainable development goals, the objectives include thriving lives and
livelihoods, sustainable food security, sustainable water security, universal clean
energy, healthy and productive ecosystems, and governance for sustainable societies (Griggs et al. 2013).
The scope of this chapter is to elucidate the challenges of understanding current
human and environmental conditions in the drylands and identify emerging research
needs that can help forge pathways towards improved stewardship and sustainable
development in future drylands in a world that will also be buffeted by climate
change. Many issues related to transforming and governing drylands have been
developed theoretically at the global scale [e.g., sustainable development goals and
land degradation neutrality (Orr et al. 2017; Cowie et al. 2018)]. Some plans have
been implemented at a national scale (INEGI 2019; UNCCD 2019), but scaling
down sustainable development to dryland local communities is still lacking.
Furthermore, suitable SES research methods that fully respond to such theoretical
developments are required and need to be better defined and promoted.
Therefore, we present the International Network for Dryland Sustainability (“Red
Internacional para la Sostenibilidad de Zonas Áridas, RISZA”) that tackles the current
dryland challenges at the local and regional scale, and supports several activities and
goals. These include: (1) Creation of multisectoral partnerships associated with local
SESs; (2) facilitation of intercultural exchange and dialogue; (3) weaving of different
1 Introduction: International Network for the Sustainability…